Manufacturing processes: Canada

Iron Powders

We transfer molten iron directly from the RTIT smelter to our iron powder plant. This high-purity liquid iron is granulated by striking a stream of the molten metal with high-pressure water jets. The resulting iron granules are dried and ground to a controlled size distribution.

Next, the powder passes through decarburizing furnaces where it is exposed to controlled heat in a reducing atmosphere, allowing it to meet exacting final chemical and metallurgical specifications. Once through the furnace, the powder is milled and homogenized in 36 metric ton (40 ton) lots.

Additives—such as copper, graphite, and lubricants—can then be mixed with the powder into customized premixes or binder-treated premixes (FLOMET), as specified by our customers. Finally, the powder is packaged and shipped throughout the world.

Water atomised steel powders

For our water atomised steel powders, we convert molten iron into steel at our state-of-the-art K-OBM oxygen steelmaking converter. Final alloy additions and chemistry adjustments are made after transferring the molten steel to a ladle furnace in our water atomising facility.